5 Toscanini Ben Avi

The Context Emotional Dependency Scale: Reliability, Structure and Initial Validity: 

The Context Emotional Dependency Scale: Reliability, Structure and Initial Validity Irit Ben-Avi Tel-Aviv University & Tel-Aviv Community Mental Health Center Shimon Ben-Avi Ashtanga Yoga Teacher’s School Haim Y. Knobler Hasassah Hebrew University Medical School Chief, Mental Health Department, Medical Corps, IDF

Presentation Aims: 

Conceptual Issues Development Reliability Initial Validation Discussion & Conclusions Future Research Presentation Aims

Background: 

Background Is happiness a kind of response to certain fulfilled criteria ? To what extent do we let life circumstances determine our state of mind and our overall evaluation of happiness?

What CEDS measures ?: 

What CEDS measures ? The Context Emotional Dependency Scale (CEDS) is a self-report measure of the degree to which our positive and negative emotions depend upon perceived personal and social context (circumstances).

Underlying assumptions: 

Underlying assumptions We may not have control over “world circumstances”. We may exercise or have some control over our perceptions & interpretations (inner world). All is changing - circumstances and us. Breaking patterns – identifying attachments and rejections creates more opportunities for positive feelings. Contemplation as central trait or attitude.

Schema of possible relation: person dependency – world context: 

Schema of possible relation: person dependency – world context Context Person Enjoying the positive context with no attachment to it. Being in the negative context without rejecting it. “Breaking patterns”

Context Emotional Dependency and Other Concepts ?: 

Context Emotional Dependency and Other Concepts ? Happiness –”Happiness comes by many routes” Satisfaction & Well-being “Main road”- Detachment, identifying patterns of attachments & rejections. Optimism – Good things are permanent. Bad are temporary; time-> future All is temporary, forever changing; time-> now (flow?) Resilience – Good adaptation in the context of significant adversity Applies to both positive and negative context.

Item Pool - Context Emotional Dependency Scale (CEDS): 

Item Pool - Context Emotional Dependency Scale (CEDS) Context bound Contemplation “I can detach from what is happening and contemplate myself from outside” “The environment greatly affects my mood” “I can keep calm even if something goes wrong” Beyond context 11 items 4 items 7 items 6-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree, 6=strongly agr.) Low score indicate context bound while high score indicates relative freedom from context.

Item Pool (CEDS) - more examples: 

Item Pool (CEDS) - more examples Context bound Contemplation “Even when everything is raging around me, I can find stillness within myself” “I frequently reflect on my life” “I am easily offended ” “I could have been much happier in different circumstances” “I choose how to relate to events in my life” “I feel good as I am” “Life is a blessing” Beyond context

Methods: 

Methods Participants 104 subjects 70 University students and 34 Yoga practitioners Age: 18 – 56 Yrs; Mean 34.3 (SE=9.7) Sex: 43 males, 61 females

Methods (cont.): 

Methods (cont.) Context Emotional Dependency Scale (CEDS) Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larson & Griffin, 1985) Gratitude Questionnaire (McCullough & Emmons, 2002) Background data: Age, sex, origin, education, religiosity, physical and/mental activities (sport, martial arts, yoga, meditation, psychotherapy & spiritual work).

Results : 

Results Item selection – 8 items with less than .35 correlations with the total score were removed, 14 items remained (7 are reversed scored). Mean corrected item-to-total correlation was .49 (SD=0.06) Reliability (Internal consistency) for the final 14 item scale was good, Cronbach’s alpha=.85

Exploratory Factor Analysis: 

Exploratory Factor Analysis 3 factors: Inner Contentment (IC) 53% of the variance explained by factors Egocentricity (Ego) Emotional Reactivity (ER) Cronbach : IC=.75; ER=.77; Ego=.64

Component Correlations: 

Component Correlations The three factors were moderately correlated. ER --- EGO r=.29, p<.001 EGO --- IC r=-23, p<.001 IC --- ER r=-37, p<.001 High ER => low reactivity. High EGO => low egocentricity High IC => high contentment

Initial validity Correlations between CEDS, life satisfaction and gratitude (n=104, p<.001): 

Initial validity Correlations between CEDS, life satisfaction and gratitude (n=104, p<.001)

Initial validity: comparing university students to yoga practitioners: 

Initial validity: comparing university students to yoga practitioners

Discussion: 

Discussion Is emotional independency a precondition for enduring happiness ? What is the relation between context emotional dependency and other concepts ? To what extent responses of yoga & meditation students reflected their state or were subject to “spiritual desirability” bias ?

Conclusions: 

Conclusions Our study developed 14-items, 3-factor measure of context emotional dependency. The CEDS is a reliable instrument in terms of internal consistency. Initial evidence of construct validity and criterion-related validity The CEDS may be a useful tool for future research in the area of well-being.

Future Work: 

Future Work Replication in other samples. Validation against other measures. Examining the relation of context emotional dependency to optimism, resilience, well-being, QOL, MOL, life satisfaction. Follow-up of individuals or groups that are involved in personal growth processes.

Slide20: 

Thank-you ! Irit, Shimon & Haim

Inner contentment : 

Inner contentment Item content Factor Loading .76 I choose how to relate to events in my life .66 I feel good as I am .66 I can detach from what is happening and contemplate myself from outside .42 Even when I am having problems I can be glad Life is a blessing .71

Egocentricity : 

Egocentricity Item content Factor Loading I expect the environment to adapt itself to me .67 .64 .78 I feel that my feelings are not being taken into consideration I could have been much happier in different circumstances

Emotional reactivity : 

Emotional reactivity Item content Factor Loading The environment greatly affects my mood .53 I can keep calm even if something goes wrong .75 .71 .70 I am easily offended .36 When things don’t “work out” I am in a bad mood Even when everything is raging around me, I can find stillness within myself I expect too much and then I’m disappointed .54